Wednesday, November 13, 2013

A former soldier who conducted two tours of duty in Iraq gave a Tedx talk
last month from prison where he described how the army taught him to harness an
uncontrollable rage and how it ultimately led him to become, what one judge
termed, a “threat to society.”

In an October video posted of a TEDx correctional facility talk, Army veteran
Andrew “Sarge” Chambers gave a heartfelt account of his difficult transition to
civilian life after the events of 9/11 convinced to march to war.

Chambers, who is from Pickerington, Ohio, depicted one memory in which he
awoke to a chaotic battle scene and gunfire, and remembered being astonished to
hear someone laughing through it.

“In the middle of all this chaos, I could hear somebody laughing and I
thought to myself, ‘Who could be laughing at a time like this?’ and then I
realized it was me laughing,” Chambers said. “I felt like I was finally losing
control of that rage they taught me to harness.”

Following his first tour, Chambers says the Army asked for volunteers to stay
for an additional length of time, for which he says he volunteered as he was not
married and did not have children.

Chambers recalled losing seven fellow soldiers during his second tour, in
which he and others would find and neutralize roadside IEDs.

He says when he returned to the United States, the stress of combat left him
on edge.

“I was paranoid. I carried a pistol on me at all times. I assessed the threat
level of every person or place I came in contact with,” he stated. “Driving
through my family’s neighborhood, I drove in the middle of the street in fear
that the side of the road was gonna blow up and kill me.”

Chambers recollected seeking help from the Veterans Administration and being
prescribed a sleep aid, but says the medication did little to quell his inner
rage.

Iraqi war veteran Andrew “Sarge” Chambers.

Then one night, an argument erupted over a girl. “Someone pulled out a knife
and I snapped.”

“I pulled out my pistol. The prosecutor said I moved through the room in a
tactical manner, clearing the room, laid everybody on the ground I took the
knife from him and I began beating him.”

The army vet was charged with attempted murder, as well as other charges.
“When I went in for sentencing, my judge told me, “Mr. Chambers, your service is
a double-edged sword. Your time in Iraq makes you a threat to society and I have
a civil obligation to lock you up. I received ten years and here I am
today.”

The veteran’s story shines light on how many enlistees consider suicide as an
alternative to coping with pent-up rage. It also shows how the establishment
casts the mental health needs of returning veterans by the wayside, and deems
them threats once their honed warrior instincts surface.

Chambers says he hopes his story brings insight to the mindset of military
veterans, and urges people to “Find a veteran and listen to his story. A lot of
us just need someone to talk to.”

The speech was given as part of a TEDx correctional facility series, which
showcases stories about “incarceration and reintegration.”

According to the video’s YouTube description, parts of Chambers’ speech will
be included in the documentary “Operation Resurrection: The Warrior Returns.”